


Second Star

by drhicks76



Category: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Comedy, F/M, First Kiss, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3319265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drhicks76/pseuds/drhicks76
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>About two months after their return from Zanarkand, Wakka is spending an evening reflecting on the docks of Besaid when he's joined by one of his closest companions, Lulu.   A conversation that begins as playful banter about their past, both recent and distant, becomes something deeper and much, much more than Wakka expected when that night began...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Star

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second foray into FFX tales and again, I'm staying with the canon relationship that I enjoy most. Granted, I've made up a bit where a couple of minor characters are concerned (who knew Vilucha was the village's two-wheeled transportation device, if you catch my drift?) but I focused primarily on these two and how their lives have changed after the Pilgrimage. Needless to say, if you haven't finished the game, you don't want to read this one yet. I have finally finished it (twice now!) and am well into FFX-2 but I felt comfortable enough after having seen "Eternal Calm" and playing as much of X-2 as I have to write this one. I certainly feel like I have my feet under the characters far more than I did the first time and I gather these two have quite a history together. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!

** SECOND STAR **

     “‘Waiting for your ship to come in’ isn’t a literal phrase, you know.”

     Wakka was surprised to hear Lulu’s voice from behind him but he didn’t turn around to look in her direction; he simply smiled and continued to stare out into towards the dimming sunset sky and the open ocean. Nor did he reply immediately, opting instead to idly swing his bare feet in the warm water at the end of the pier for a few moments first. “You a funny lady, you know. I think you missed your callin’, ya?”

     “Perhaps I am in need of a new one. It’s not like there’s going to be much of a need for Guardians anymore.”

     “Or Summoners. Which is still somethin’ I’m tryin’ to get my head around.” Wakka slid over to the left to make room for Lulu if she chose to sit down on the wooden dock beside him. He was pleased that she approached to do so. “How long’s it been now? Two moons?”

     “About that, yes.” Lulu removed her boots and hiked up her long dark grey skirt; as she sat down beside him, she did her best to find a place in her lap for the copious amount of fabric and leather belts that made up the bell of it. “And we’ve been back on Besaid for half that. Yet all of the people that followed us here from Luca and wherever else they came from originally still won’t leave.”

     He snorted. “Tell me about it. Wish they’da brought some food with ‘em. I’ve spent the last few days doing nothing but whacking birds with my blitzball just to keep ‘em all fed. I figure I better stop or there’s gonna be no birds left!”

     Lulu’s eyes narrowed and the ghost of a smile crossed her face. “Let them eat flan, then.”

     Wakka knew full well that maybe the only person who wanted the throngs of visitors to finally vacate the island more than he did was sitting beside him now. “Ha! You know, that’s not such a bad idea! Might finally convince ‘em to go!” He gave her a sideways look. “You, uh, ever eaten one of them?” The ‘what do you think’ look she offered him in reply answered that question quite plainly. “Heh heh, right. You only cook ‘em.”

     “There isn’t enough gil in all of Spira to make me even consider tasting a fiend like that. You touched on something else there, though: for a while, I was casting maybe a hundred spells a day. Now I haven’t cast a single one since we got home.”

     “Hey, dat’s not true! You had to put that clumsy Hypello out after he tripped over one of those firepot things somebody set up around their makeshift shrine to Yuna.”

     She sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “Right. No one seemed to have a bucket of water handy so I just did what came naturally. He seemed none the worse for wear afterwards, thankfully. At least it was nothing one of Yuna’s healing spells couldn’t fix.” Lulu felt the dock shake and she looked to Wakka, who had his face scrunched up in a desperate effort to stifle a laugh. “Wakka, really...”

     “‘Ooh! It burnsh! It burnsh!’”

     “Seriously...”

     “I’m sorry. I felt so bad for the little guy but they sound so funny! At least he was appreciative: ‘Thank yoo, mish Lulu! At leasht I’ve shtopped shmoking, ya?’”

     This made Lulu laugh in spite of herself. “Last time I checked, Hypellos don’t usually have a Besaid accent. I’m sure they think you sound equally as comical.”

     “You know, I’ve always wondered why you never really had one considering you grew up here. Yuna was trained in the Temple with the monks from Bevelle so she kept to their sounds, but you spent so much time with me and Chappu after your tutor passed on, I figured I’d still get a ‘ya’ or two outta you now and then. Did that woman who taught you all your tricks ever tell you where she came from? I could never put a finger on her accent.”

     “All I know about her origins is that it was somewhere in the Macalania forest. I always thought she wanted to keep herself distinct from everyone else so she made a point of not adopting the local speech. You remember how big a deal it was for her to make certain I didn’t either?”

     “Oh, I remember all right.” Wakka placed his large hand on the back of his head and rubbed it back and forth over his bright orange hair. “She used to whack me a good one every time I said somethin’ she didn’t like. Always right on the back of my skull!”

     Lulu chortled. “And you wonder why I chose to talk the way I do. It may also help explain why I wear my hair the way I do as well.”

     This revelation made him laugh loudly. “You know, that never occurred to me! Big ol’ bun in your hair absorbed some of the damage, ya?”

     “I simply found it easier to speak as she did in order to minimize the... whacking.”

     “I guess so! Man, she wasn’t the most popular teacher on the island. Most of us in the orphan’s huts used to give her a wide berth – some boys even used to call her ‘dark angel’ – but she sure took a shining to you. I’m pretty sure that went both ways.”

     Lulu looked down at her dress, a gift made for her by her tutor once she had proven herself worthy of it in that woman’s eyes. “Since when have I cared about whom or what was popular?”

     “True, that is.”

     A moment later, Wakka made a chuckling sound and Lulu closed her eyes before saying, “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but what’s so amusing this time?”

     Wakka made no further attempt to stifle his laughter this time. “Thinkin’ about how much time Yuna spent with Kimahri and what if she had picked up talking like him instead?” He cleared his throat and spoke with as deep a growl as he could, “‘Yuna want to be Summoner like father. Yuna really like blue dress with pretty flowers on it. Yuna not like it when Lulu make fun of her snoring!’”

     Lulu tried her hardest not to smile but failed miserably. “It’s surprising how much you sound like him at times.”

     “Heh. I was trying to sound like her trying to sound like him but I guess that’s tough to do. Just the idea of it cracks me up!” He saw her grin actually break into a laugh. “Apparently it does you, too!”

     “Actually, considering how long he spent on Besaid, it’s a wonder Kimahri didn’t end up with your accent!” Lulu drew herself up as tall as she could and said, “‘Kimahri like to play blitzball, ya? Maybe Kimahri wear yellow pants and orange vest and go kick lumpy ball onna beach with my brudders, ya?”

     “I do not sound like that!” Wakka said indignantly.

     “No, I suppose not. Your voice is much less deep and growly.”

     Wakka shook his head. “You’re something else, you know?”

     Her smile was one of acceptance of this fact. “I don’t know what else I would be but me.”

     “Yeah, well I still remember the girl who wore colourful island clothes and liked flowers and dolls before she discovered dark dresses and purple lipstick and setting things on fire and... well, I guess you always did like dolls all along, huh. Man, I wish we could find a sphere witchoo dressed like that again...”

     She grabbed his arm and for a split second, Wakka could see a hint of flame in her red eyes. “If someone ever finds a sphere with me dressed like that on it, I swear on whatever you hold holy these days that I will blow the top off of Mount Gagazet, throw that sphere into the fiery hole and then seal it with a million massive boulders and a curse so strong it would drive even the Ronso away.” As quickly as her semi-serious fury began, it ebbed just as quickly as she recalled what had recently transpired between the Ronso and Seymour Guado. “What Ronso remain, that is.”

     Wakka placed his hand over the one that she was gripping his bicep with and gently removed it, keeping her hand in his. “Don’t worry; I know you didn’t mean it that way. Things are different now; the whole world has changed and it’s gonna take time for people to get used to it. Even us!”

     She exhaled slowly. “You’re right. Just because we were catalysts of that change doesn’t mean we aren’t affected by it.”

     “You got dat right. Hey, speaking of Ronsos, I assume Kimahri is doing guard duty yet again tonight?”

     “He wouldn’t have it any other way. I think he has even less use for all of these pilgrims and supplicants and well-wishers than we do. He certainly doesn’t trust any of them.”

     “Ya. He trusts ‘em about as far as he can throw ‘em.”

     Lulu thought about this for a moment. “I don’t know about that; I suspect he could throw them a fair distance.”

     Wakka grinned. “That’s the Lu I know and love. I mean... well, you know what I mean.”

     “Perhaps.” Lulu made a point of not looking at him directly; she was reasonably certain that if she did, she’d see that his face was as bright as his hair. “Like I said, change is the only constant these days. Even I’m a different person than I was when we embarked on this pilgrimage.”

     “You ain’t kiddin’! You went from biting poor Tidus’ head off to jumping off of airships first to throwin’ his blitzball for him to kick at the baddies to... to... well, you know!”

     “Flirting with him? Wakka, relax. He was the one who initiated it. Where he came from, that was simply part of being the blitzball star.”

     At that, Wakka huffed. “And to think that you didn’t believe him about where he came from at first.”

     “You were right about him, yes,” Lulu acknowledged, “but then you were awfully quick to trust him.”

     “I just... did. My gut told me that there was somethin’ special about the guy.”

     “And it wasn’t just his obvious skill at the game which you’d dedicated half of your life to?” she teased.

     “Hey, that talent was obvious! It was his talent with a sword I had to make of leap of faith on. Sure glad I did. And you gave me blazes for it!”

     Lulu laughed but not unkindly. “I was so upset when I found out you gave him Brotherhood that you almost received literal blazes! But you were right about him.” She thought for a moment. “Yuna still has it?”

     Wakka nodded. “She picks it up and holds it for a while every night before she goes to sleep, she says. I told her she can keep it for as long as she wants. It was special to me but now it’s even more special to her, ya?”

     “That’s kind of you.” Lulu extended her fingers and gently wrapped them around his hand. “You know, you’ve changed in a lot of ways, too.”

     “Who, me? I guess you could say that.”

     “I mean it. For so long, it was ‘Curse the Al Bhed’ this and ‘Teachings of Yevon’ that. Leaving the island again and seeing the world has really opened your eyes to many things.”

     He considered this for a few moments as he looked down at the small waves washing over his bare feet. “Was I really that bad?”

     “At times. I understood your anger at the Al Bhed after Chappu’s passing, but instead of clinging on to your old prejudices after meeting Rikku, you chose to leave them behind at the side of the path where they belonged. That’s not a small thing.”

     “I get it now, believe me. He chose to go with the Crusaders because he thought he was doing the right thing. Yevon and the Al Bhed really had nothin’ to do wit’ it.” Wakka sighed deeply and gave the ocean a bit of a kick. “You know, I almost feel bad about punchin’ Luzzu. Almost.”

     “I don’t.”

     His eyes opened wide. “You knew? Was I the only one who didn’t?”

     Lulu turned her head to look him in the face, the beads in her long braids clacking together as she did so. “Would you have wanted to know before now? Before you witnessed the true face of Yevon? Luzzu is a friend of yours; it would have soured that relationship completely. What would you have had left to believe in? You would have been even angrier than you were and I didn’t want to see that eat you from the inside.” She abruptly looked down. “Like it was eating at me.”

     The planned retort in the vein of ‘how could you know’ evaporated before it even took form on Wakka’s tongue; he opted for a quiet “I see,” instead. “Waitaminute... did you mean you don’t feel bad about me punchin’ Luzzu or... did you punch him, too?”

     Her reply was a slow blink and a hint of a smirk.

     “Oh boy. Ya, can’t blame you.” Wakka tried to think of what else to add to that but couldn’t come up with anything he felt of value so he continued just holding her hand and idly dragging his toes through the water. He looked up at the darkening skies and something caught his eye. “Hey, you see those two stars there? The big one and the little one in the Shield of Zaon?”

     “Yes, I do.”

     “Until we got to the Farplane, that’s how I used to talk to Chappu. I’d come out here after dark when all the boats were either gone or shored up for the night and I’d just sit here and talk to him about stuff. I looked at those stars, thinkin’ that first smaller star there was him and that second star on the right, the bigger one, was me and we’d always be together there, ya? I know it’s silly but...”

     Lulu lightly squeezed his hand. “It’s not silly at all. I had my own way of dealing with it.”

     Wakka swallowed. “I kinda wanna ask how but if that’s none of my business, I won’t ask.”

     “All you need to know is that it is at rest. Chappu will always be with me in some way, just as you’ve shown me where he lives on with you. In fact, my... flirtations with Tidus were what helped me realize that I had finally found the closure I needed to move on to bigger things.”

     “Bigger things, huh? Don’t tell me all this travellin’ has made you think about leavin’ again?”

     “Actually, that’s not what I was referring to.”

     “Well, I’m glad because... well, because I don’t know how to say this ‘cause sometimes I get a bit flustered when I’m thinking too much an’ my mouth gets all dry an’ I guess what I’m tryin’ to say is tha-”

     His sentence was silenced by her lips on his, held firmly at first to make her intentions clear and then more gently as he responded in kind. After a few moments Wakka pulled back and looked at her as though it were the first time he’d ever laid eyes on her. “You mean... it’s me you want?”

     Lulu smiled, a sight that made his heart leap. “If I didn’t make that abundantly clear the first time, let me show you again.”   With that, her purple tinted lips met his again and he did his best to put his arms around her and hold her close.

     Wakka couldn’t tell if a minute or a millennium had passed when they parted again but all he knew was that he couldn’t ever recall such a feeling of joy. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that...”

     “I have a pretty good idea,” she replied softly, “but the time wasn’t right until now. There was always something else going on, it seemed; pilgrimages, blitzball tournaments...”

     “Flirtations with guys born a thousand years ago...”

     Lulu raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to need to let that go, just so you know.”

     “Aw, I’m just kiddin’ now.”

     “I don’t pester you about your dalliance with Vilucha and that was far more than simply playful speech.”

     Wakka cringed. “Hey now, we were teenagers that got into the fruit wine and things just kinda... happened.”

     “Ha! What happened was that you were a blitzball player and she got you drunk and had her way with you. And while I know ‘what’s said in the locker room stays in the locker room, ya’, I’m pretty sure that Datto and Letty and Keepa and the rest of them have had a similar encounter with her and what part of that in particular are you grinning about?”

     “The part where I finally got a ‘ya’ outta you,” he answered with a wink.

     Lulu sighed. “Never mind that. I know full well you and Chappu called her ‘S.S.’ behind her back.”

     “Chappu told you that? Oh man, if he were here right now... No sense denyin’ it. ‘All aboard the S.S. Vilucha! Toot toot!’” Wakka tugged on an imaginary boat whistle as he made the noise. “You sure you’re gonna let me live that one down?”

     “I suppose I can let it slide.”

     “She turned out to be a pretty fair blitzer herself. I probably would have asked her to join the Aurochs if it wouldn’t have been so...”

     “Awkward?” Lulu finished.

     “Ya, that’s it. That and I always thought she’d look terrible in yellow.”

     “Thank goodness your fashion sense prevailed.”

     “Ah, listen to me,” Wakka said, “Vilucha’s been a great help lately. Helping feed the guests, offering tours... she even let visitors sleep in her hut.”

     A sly smirk appeared on Lulu’s features. “I bet some of them weren’t even blitzball players.”

     “Now, see, you beat me to the joke on that one. I gotta be nicer now or else I’m gonna say somethin’ I shouldn’t to one of Yuna’s well-wishers, especially when I should be pattin’ one of our own Besaid folk on the back for doin’ such a good job, ya?”

     “Now that’s the Wakka I know and love.” Before Wakka could even laugh at her play on his words, she moved in and kissed him again. When he reached over to embrace her this time, he slipped and ended up pulling her down on top of him. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that yet...”

     “What? Oh, geez! I didn’t mean to...”

     “I know. Just teasing you.” Lulu placed a hand on his cheek and felt the warmth that came with his blushing. “All in good time.”

     “Yeah, for sure. I’m still tryin’ to process all of this, ya? It’s wonderful, but jus’... wow.” Wakka lifted his head to kiss her as she continued to lie on top of him, which also yielded him a view of her chest pressed into his own. “You know, I’ve always wondered what kind of spell you cast to keep those from falling out of that dress of yours.”

     Lulu narrowed her eyes again. “A spell so dark that if I spoke its name in your presence, I’d have to sacrifice you to the adhesive gods.”

     Wakka chuckled. “It’s ‘gluaga’, isn’t it?”

     “You just had to go and guess it. Now I have to kill you. Good one.”

     He reached up and put his arms around her back. “You wouldn’t kill me, ya? Who else’s gonna whack birds for everyone to eat?”

     “Hm. I suppose I may have to let you live then. For the time being, at least.” She smirked and kissed him quickly, earning herself a quick scratch on her chin from his russet stubble.

     “An’ I wasn’t even the one who bugged you the first time you wore this dress! What did Chappu say... looked like you were...”

     “Smuggling shoopufs,” Lulu finished, more than a hint of a scowl on her face.

     Wakka tried his hardest not to laugh but couldn’t hold it in. “Aw, I can’t believe you even remember that.”

     “Some things are harder to forget than others.” She slid off to one side of him and rose to her feet; Wakka was relieved to see that she didn’t appear quite as upset about it as he feared she might have been. “Don’t worry, I forgave him for that later, of course.” Lulu offered him a hand and he followed suit. “I may or may not have occasionally spent a night or two standing behind your hut and practicing my Demi spell on him while he was sleeping prior to that forgiveness, however.”

     “Ha! Like I said before, you a funny lady.”

     She gave no reply save for a small smile and a couple of blinks.

     “Riiiiiiiight...” Wakka slipped his sandals back on and waited for Lulu to step back into her footwear. Once she had done so, he offered her his arm and she took it, doing her best to get her long sleeve through the space his bent arm provided. He thought about leaving the dock but paused for a moment first and looked up again. “Quite a night, ya?”

     “Indeed.”

     There they stood for a few moments, letting the cool sea breeze wash over them, looking at the stars above, white studs in the black fabric of the sky, but focused solely on two in particular. “So... what changes?” Wakka inquired.

     “Everything and nothing,” Lulu answered without hesitation.

     While this initially struck Wakka as a flippant and nonsensical reply, the basic meaning behind it dawned on him if not the full import of it. “Ah, okay. I see where you’re coming from.”

     “Good. Shall we?”

     “Ya, let’s.” As they made their way down the wooden pier back towards the beach and the path that lead to their settlement, Wakka asked, “So, do you wanna tell Yuna or should I?”

     Lulu pondered this. “Considering how late it is, it should probably wait until morning. She’s most likely exhausted and sleeping by now. Listening to people drone on for hours on end is tiring in a way many can’t imagine.”

     “That’s not what I meant but I think you make a good point there, ya?”

     She chuckled softly. “I think you should tell her. She’ll seek me out immediately after you do to confirm it, anyway. Besides, if you’re going to act as her majordomo, you should get used to presenting her with important information.”

     “Wait... majorwhatnow?”

     “Majordomo, advisor, deputy; whatever you choose to call yourself. Basically, the office you already hold in many ways, with the additional duty of bodyguard when Kimahri departs for Mount Gagazet.”

     Wakka was shocked for what was definitely not the first time that night. “Hold on... Kimahri’s leaving?”

     Lulu looked up at him. “It’s only a matter of time. While he still feels dutybound to protect Yuna from these people, just in case not all of their intentions are benevolent in nature, he’s starting to feel pressure from his own would-be supplicants. While you were bird hunting this afternoon, the Ronso Fangs arrived from Luca to offer their deepest thanks to both Yuna and Kimahri for defeating Sin. It became rather clear after Nuvy Ronso all but begged Kimahri to gather what Ronso remain and lead them back to their mountain that he is considered the greatest living hero among the remnants of their people. Yuna was tickled by the attention he was receiving at first, but after the team left, she made it quite clear to him that if he wanted or needed to go and be with his people, he was more than welcome to. In fact, she all but told him to.”

     “That’s our Yuna; selfless above all else. But then, knowin’ him, there’s no way he’s leaving until all of these people have had their say, ya?”

     “More than likely. He’ll see his promise to Sir Auron through to the end.”

     At the sound of that name, a rush of memories and emotions tore through Wakka and he almost stopped in his tracks. “Sir Auron. You know, I wish he was here right now. He may have been a man of few words but he was still a better diplomat than I’ll ever be. People respected him, ya know?”

     “Don’t you see that they respect you as well?” Lulu asked as they started up the hill that led off of the beach and into the lush rainforest and ancient stone ruins scattered across the island. “You were one of Yuna’s Guardians, just as I was. While the people that have come to Besaid bring their gifts and their thanks to Yuna, they treat us with the same reverence as they do her. If you told any of them to go take a swim, not only would they do it, but they’d feel ashamed and ask what they did to offend.”

     “Well, I dunno about that. Sir Auron wouldn’t hesitate to tell someone to beat it, ya? So far we haven’t had to. Even the Guado contingent was nothing short of incredibly apologetic and brought all kinds of peace offerings. I even heard that Shelinda woman is on her way with a small group from Bevelle. That oughta be interesting... but then she’s been nothing but good to us.”

     “Agreed. Then let us count ourselves lucky that this time has been relatively uneventful. While we may be in the Eternal Calm, we’d be fools to think that things will always be this peaceful. The collapse of Yevon is going to create a vacuum in our society that many will rush to fill. There will be some who expect Yuna to fill it; I don’t believe that’s her intention at all.”

     Wakka nodded. “For sure. She’s gonna be busy with this sort of thing for a long time, I suspect. It starts with well-wishing an’ all that but pretty soon, they’re all gonna start asking for her opinion on things and then her judgment and she might not take too well to that.”

     “No, I suspect not. This is why it’s important that you offer her guidance when she needs it. I’ll do so as well. The same as it ever was. Now do you see what I meant by ‘everything and nothing’?”

     “How’d you know I didn’t know?”

     “Wakka, I’ve been looking at your face for most of our lives. I can read you like a spellbook.” She looked up at him and smiled warmly.

     “Heh heh... all right. In a way, that’s kinda reassuring. Comfortable, ya know?”

     “Good. That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” For a brief moment, she rested her head up against his firm arm. “It’s been wonderful to travel with you and to see you grow and change. Admittedly, it’s also been awfully hard to keep my feelings to myself in the process. I was genuinely worried for you when you got hurt in that last game against the Al Bhed.”

     This make Wakka bark a laugh. “Can I still be ticked off at them for that one?”

     “I suppose. So long as you balance it out with remembering what they sacrificed to help us out.”

     “All right, all right. That’s okay; scoring that winning goal in overtime against the Goers in the Final made a lot of that pain go away, anyway.”

     Lulu could all but feel the pride radiating off of Wakka when he mentioned that moment. “I’m glad you got to go out on top.”

     He sighed and readjusted his arm for her. “Yeah. Still not sure I was ready to give it up but I got too much else to do now. It was the right choice, wasn’t it?”

     “It was. Besides, to be truthful, I’m not sure I could take watching you get hurt while playing again.”

     “You had no problem with me getting my butt handed to me by behemoths and demonoliths, though?”

     “In case you didn’t notice, I made sure to either throw a Phoenix Down your way if Yuna didn’t revive you first, or to Ultima the daylights out of whatever cursed you or knocked you out if she was tending to your wounds already,” Lulu said with a touch of her own pride colouring her words.

     Wakka turned his head to look at her. “It mighta been hard for me to notice if I was flat on my back and down for the count. But then, I was always kinda hopin’ it was you helpin’ me out, ya?”

     “Then I have some good news for you,” Lulu said with a smirk. “I am curious about something though: you’ve always been a much more fervent believer than I, but when did you finally realize that the whole Yevon business wasn’t what it claimed to be? When you were dodging bullets in Bevelle or when you were hitting Lady Yunalesca in the face with a blitzball?”

     “Which face? The pretty one or the giant nasty one with huge snakes for hair? Ya, I think that was the fight that did me in once and for all. If someone had told me a year ago, ‘Hey Wakka! Guess what? You’re gonna kill Lady Yunalesca with a blitzball and then blow Sin’s arms off with a machina airship before diving into its mouth and taking out Sir Jecht before destroying the essence of Yu Yevon himself’, I’dda told him to lay off the wine and go sleep it off!”

     Lulu chortled at this. “It does seem rather far fetched, doesn’t it?”

     “An’ yet, here we are.” Wakka realized that he was so busy chatting with Lulu that they had arrived at the front gate of the village. Only a few small torches still flickered and a small number of the visitors were milling about in the courtyard in front of the Temple of the Fayth. Many makeshift tents filled the normally open space and Wakka knew the floor of the temple itself was likely covered with the sleeping forms of many honoured guests and their attendants.

     “Here we are,” Lulu echoed.

     Without saying another word, Wakka gently pulled her over to the outside wall away from the entrance and placed another long kiss on her lips. When he finally let go, he said, “You know, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d have to face and defeat the very gods we used to have to pray to, but the wildest dreams I’d actually had involved a moment a lot like this one. And you know what? I’m glad it came true.”

     “So am I.” She took his hand in hers and said, “Let’s go in together. For the first time, in a way.”

     “So it is, ya? Listen, um... so where do we go once we get in there?”

     Lulu thought for a moment. “I meant what I said about not quite being ready for that yet, but keeping that in mind, I wouldn’t be upset if you were to wake up beside me.”

     “You mean your hut? You realize that’s right next door to Vilucha’s and I’m pretty sure I saw her still chatting away out there.”

     “Oh, I know. Perhaps it will provide her something else to talk about?”

     A slow grin spread across Wakka’s face. “Yeah, I can get behind that. Let’s go!”

     They walked into Besaid village, hand in hand, with no cares whatsoever who saw them together or what they thought of it. It was only a few moments walk to Lulu’s hut and as she crossed the threshold, he said, “Just give me two seconds, okay? There’s someone I need to talk to real quick.”

     Lulu smiled and nodded. “I understand.”

     Wakka looked up to the pair of stars that formed the handle of Zaon’s Shield. _I’ll take good care of her, Chappu; I promise you that. She’s special, this one. I just never thought I’d get the chance to tell her with your ghost still hanging around the both of us. Now I hope you’ll watch over both of us together, ya know? An’ if you happen to see Tidus, you tell him thanks for me, too, ya? An’ that Yuna really misses him. An’ that..._

     “I don’t think Chappu would be too thrilled with you if you let me fall asleep by myself,” came a voice from the hut.

     “Yeah, I have a feelin’ you’re right.” A moment later, he did a quick salute towards the stars and then opened the door of the tent. _Nice to know sometimes there is such a thing as a happy ending after all..._


End file.
